Long-Term Success of Hip Replacement: Maintenance and Follow-Up Care

Long-term success of a hip replacement surgery is dependent on regular maintenance, adherence to the postsurgical guidelines, and timely follow ups with the surgeon. If you are following these steps, your hip replacement should last over twenty years without problems. As you go into the surgery, it is important to start planning for your recovery. 

From making your home more accessible post-surgery to making sure you have the right movement aids whenever you need them. These are some of the most important steps to ensure a healthy recovery after the surgery. These small steps go a long way into helping you create long-term success, so let’s review the various post-surgical recovery tips for hip replacement surgery.

How To Maintain Hip Replacement Prosthesis? Learn From The Best Hip Replacement Surgeon in Delhi

The maintenance and long-term care after a hip replacement surgery can be categorized in three distinct phases. The first phase starts immediately after the surgery and involves getting back on your feet and managing the surgical pain. The second stage is once the initial recovery is complete and it involves you getting back to your regular life. 

The last and long-term stage of recovery requires you to make certain lifestyle and habitual changes to make sure your implants are safe and you can enjoy living as you please for as long as you want. Now that you know about the basic description of each recovery phase, let’s explore them in detail courtesy of the best hospital for hip replacement surgery in India, MASSH.

• First Recovery Phase

The first recovery phase starts right after the surgery with the primary aim of dealing with post-surgical pain and getting back on your feet. Even if you go through a minimally invasive procedure, taking care of the surgery site and the incisions are very important at this stage. The main aim is to protect the surgery site and keep it well-dressed and sterilized at all times. This will protect your body against infections which could cause postsurgical complications that can harm your recovery process.

Once you have that in control, the next step is to make sure you are taking your medicines as and when prescribed. Doctors will recommend you to have pain medication during this stage of the recovery to manage the postsurgical pain. Taking your medicines on time will help you manage your symptoms quite well. If you still have pain, doctors may increase the dosage of your medication.

Lastly, during this stage, physical therapists work with you to help you get back your movement and range of motion. Even though you will have some struggles getting up and around in this stage, you must regularly keep moving and not stay in any position for a long period. This will help your prosthetics settle well inside your body and for your body to get used to them. This concludes the steps you need to fulfill for the first recovery phase. It generally lasts from the day after your surgery to a few weeks after your surgery.

• Second Recovery Phase

The second recovery phase of hip replacement surgery focuses on getting your body to regain the range of movement and be able to get back to your regular life. This phase can last from a few weeks after your surgery to a few months after the surgery. The process is similar to that of the previous recovery stage, however, medicines are no longer required at this stage. The incisions on the surgery site are also well healed at this point, so the fear of postsurgical complications is relatively lower at this stage. 

The main focus of this recovery phase is practicing movement. You will most likely have to relearn how to move because now you don’t only have to slowly improve your range of motion, you will also have to learn how to protect your new hip joint. This will involve exercising regularly, walking, and doing your daily physical activities as usual. However, activities like heavy lifting or physically strenuous activities will need to be kept on hold during this period.

This is also the time when you would need to go through regular visits to your doctor as advised. Doctors will closely monitor the implant to make sure it is properly functioning and isn’t causing any problems in your movement. Regular follow-ups are important to discuss any symptoms with your doctor or to just provide a summary of how you have been doing and what comes next in your recovery process.

• Long-Term Maintenance & Follow-up Care

Long-term maintenance of hip replacement involves adapting healthy lifestyle habits. These habits are put in place to ensure your new hip joint is not unnecessarily strained and you don’t have any more pain or discomfort that led to you getting the surgery in the first place. One of the first things doctors will recommend you to do is to maintain a healthy weight. Being obese with a new hip joint will put a lot of strain on your prosthetic and cause it to not be able to function optimally.

Given the regular exercise routine that doctors will recommend, maintaining a healthy weight should not be very difficult if you are taking care of your diet too. Low-impact exercises like swimming and walking should be practiced regularly to keep your hip joint mobile. Apart from diet and exercise, doctors will always recommend you to be vigilant of your symptoms. If you have any unexpected pain while performing any activity or if you are just having some unexplainable symptoms, it is important to take them seriously and report them to the doctor.

Taking a note of your health and the symptoms you face will help you lead a better and healthier life while also ensuring you are functioning optimally. If any activity seems strenuous, doctors will in most cases ask you to either stop doing it or modify it in some way to make it easier on you. Following these steps and regularly following up with your doctor are the best ways to ensure long-term success of your hip replacement surgery.

Conclusion

Post surgical care is very important for complex surgeries like hip replacement. If you are diligent in your efforts to take care of your health and follow the doctor’s orders, you will be sure to have long-term success with hip replacement. The role of your doctors and the healthcare provider is very important in this regard as they can help you understand the significance of each post-surgical practice. 

So, if you are interested in going through hip replacement, get it done from the best hospital for hip replacement surgery in India, MASSH. We specialize in hip replacement and offer personalized medical management services to all our patients that ensure you are never alone during the recovery period of your hip replacement. Check out our website or visit us today to learn more about hip replacement surgery in Delhi at MASSH.